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(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. oowLns. FERRY BOAT.

No. 355,682. I Patent ed Jan. 11,1887.

N. PETERS. Phulo-Lilhflgnpfwr, Washingiull. D.C.

' f4 Sheets-Sheet 2. W. GOWLES. PERRYBOAT.

(No Model.)

Patented Jan. 11, 1887-.

n. Firms PhulrrLilhugnpIwn wman mn. u, c.

(No Modeh) 4 Sheets-Sheet s.

' W. OOWLES.

' FERRY BOAT. I

No. 355,682. Patented Jan. 11, 1887.

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NITED STATES WVILLIAM OOlVLES, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

FERRY-BOAT' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 355,682, dated January 11, 1867.

Application filed April 24, 1886. Serial No. 200,000. (No model.)

Be it known that I, WILLIAM COWLES, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ferry-Boats, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to that general class of ferry-boats which are driven-by screw-propellers instead of by paddle-wheels, and particularly to a boat'of this elasswhich is pro vided with a screw or screws and a rudder at each end, and is designed and adapted to be run with either end foremost.

It is the object of theinvention to provide a ferry-boat which can be more readily and quickly maneuvered; which willbe less liable to stoppage and damage by reason of ice; which will afford a greater team and passenger capacity in proportion to its size, and

which willrequire a less expenditure of power to transport a given load than th ose boats heretofore in use.

To these ends the invention consists in various improvements in the construction and organization of the machinery, and also in the arrangement of the various parts of the boat and its machinery by which these results are I attained.

As a full understanding of the invention can be best imparted by a detailed description of a boat embodying my improvements, all further preliminary description will be omitted and a full description of the boat given, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a ferry-boat embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a partial horizontal section of the same, taken on-the line w m of Fig. 1, showing the teamgangway in the center of the boat and the passe'ngercabins on the sides. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section of the boat taken upon theline ac of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevation of one end of the boat, showing particularly the rudder, the propeller, and the devices for protecting the latter from ice or other floating matter. Fig. 5 is a bottom plan View of the parts shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a crosssection taken upon the linercx of Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a similar view taken upon the line y y of the same figure. Fig. 8 is a View similar to Fig. 4, illustrating a double propeller and a modified arrangement of the rudder. Fig. 9 is a similar view, illustrating a modified arrangement of the double propeller; and Figs. 10 and 11 are diagrams illustrating the connections for simultaneously operating the rud- 6C ders at the opposite ends of the boat.

lfteferring to said drawings, it is to be understood that the hull A otithe boat is of substantially the usual form, except that its lines are considerably finer, which is made possible 6 by the lighter weight of the machinery, due to the employment of screws instead of paddlewheels as a means of propulsion. 'By this means the movement of theboat through'the water is rendered more easy, which is of course 7 a feature of importance. The opposite ends of the hull are made of the same form, as is common in ferry-boats, so that the boat can be run equally wellwith either end in advance.

The boat is provided with the usual guards, 7 a, which project well over the hull at the sides, thus affording a large amount of deckroom.

In ordinary ferry-boats which are propelled by paddle-wheels the wlieel houses occupy a large part of the deck-room formed outside the hull by the projecting guards, and thus render the passenger-cabins small. and inconvenient. By dispensing with the paddlewheels, however, the entire space over the guards is rendered available for the cabins, and the cabins I) are madeto extend through from end to end, instead of being divided by the wheel-houses, and also extend out to the edges of the guards along the whole sides of 0 the boat, and are thus'made much more commodious and pleasant. The guards at are extended for a considerable distance beyond-the ends of the hull, as shown, not only to protect the latter as the boat is run into the-slip, but 5 also to protect the screws and rudders,which, for a purpose that will be presently explained, are located considerably farther from the ends of the hull than in ordinary boats. The hull is provided at each end with what may be rco termed an exaggerated skeg, c, which extends on or about on a line with the keel and outward to a point near the endof the guards I q, and affords a bearing and support for the end of the propeller-shaft.

The screw-propellers d, which are of substantially the ordinary type, except that both faces of their blades are of the same form, so as to adapt them to work in either direction equally well, are mounted upon the ends of shafts e,which extend from a point at or near the middle of the boat, where the engines are located, and are inclined downward, as shown, so as to cause their bearings 3 in the skegs to be on or nearly on a line with the keel. This inclining of the screw-shafts is a feature of importance, as it permits the screws to be more deeply buried in the water, and thus be less liable to injury from floating matter, and also causes the screws to have a better propelling effect. If the shafts 6 were notthus inclined downward toward the ends of the boat, the screws d would, as will be seen by reference to the water-line 4, act very near the surface of the water, and if the boat were not heavily laden might project out of the water, and would thus be liable to injury from floating matter, and besides would not give the best propulsion. The screws d, as will be observed, are located a considerable distance out from the shoulder of the hull, or point where the hull commences to flare, which point' is indicated by the dotted line 5. The purpose of this is to prevent ice and other floating matter from coming in contact with and injuring or interfering with the action of the screws. This is a feature of particular importance,as it is fre quently necessary to operate ferry-boats in waters which are at times very much obstructed by floating ice.

It has been found in practice that where a boat is moved through floating ice the cakes of ice, instead of being pushed to one side and remaining on the surface of the water, are to a great extent overridden and forced downward by the bow of the boat and pass along under the hull and rise again at the stern. From this it would result, if the screws were located under and close to the ends of thehull,that the ice as it was forced downward by the bow of the boat would wedge in between the screw and the hull and between the blades of the screw at that end of the boat, and as it rose at the stern.

of the boat would also act inlike manner with the screw at that end of the boat. By locating the screws well out away from the shoulders of the hull, however, sufficient space is provided extend over the exaggerated skegs to a point beyond the screws, thus protecting the screws from being injured by coming into contact Outside of the rudders there are provided strong cut-waters '20, which join the shoes and skegs and serve to protect the rudders.

To strengthen the cut-waters and shoes, and also to aid in throwing ice and other floating matter to one side and preventing it, as far as possible, from passing downward under the hull, there are provided strong braces or guards h, which extend upward and outward from the cut-waters at a point below the water line to the ends of the hull, as shown. The form and arrangement of these guards, and also the form of the cut-waters, is such that they have a tendency to raise up and throw to one side any floating matter, instead of riding it down.

' The shafts e are connected by univeisal joints 6 to ashort horizontal crank-shaft, 7:, upon which the engines Z act in the usual manner. By this means the two screws at the opposite ends of the boat are in eifect mounted upon the same shaft, so that the screw at the bow, as well as the one at the stern, is oper ated, no matter which end of the boat is in advance. This is a feature of importance, as it has been found in practice that the screw at the how not only is very effective as a means of propulsion, but aids greatlyin maneuvering the boat. By thus using both the bow and stern screws as a means of propulsion it is practicable to make the screws smaller in diameter, .andthis is desirable in this class of boats, as they are frequently requiredto be run in shallow or comparatively shallow water. The screw at the bow also performs another important'function, in that it induces a rearward current, which tends to keep the ferry-slip free from ice and other floating mat ter.

In waters where there is much ice there has always been great difficulty in using paddlewheel boats, because of the tendencywhich such boats have to drive the ice'into the slips, and because when the ice was once driven into the slip the action of the wheels was not such as to take it out. With the present boat, however, any ice which is driven into the slip will be at once carried out by the outward current induced by the bow-screw. Although it is preferable that the shafts e should be connected, as shown, it is of course not essential that they should be so connected. They may be independent and provided with separate engines, and yet preserve certain features of the invention. The engines I will of course be provided with the usual reversing appara- IIS , tus, by which the movement of the shaftse can recti'ons.

3 wheel in each of the pilot-houses m, so that both are operated simultaneously from either house. By this means the bow, as well as the stern-rudder, is used in steering, and the maneuvering capacity of the boat is thereby increased without increasing thesize of the rudders The connections between the wheels in the pilot-houses and the rudders are illustrated by the diagrams, Figs. 10 and 11. As shown in these figures, the. posts 7 of the rudders g are provided with tillers 8, which are connected to chains or wire ropes 9, which extend in opposite directions around pulleys 10 and are wound around drums 11 on a single transverse shaft, 12. It will be observed that the connections 9 pass around the drums 11 in reverse directions, so that when the shaft 12 both rudders can be operated simultaneously without the use of intermediate connections fortrapsmitting the motion from one operatingdrum to the other. The shaft 12 is provided with agear, 19, which engages with apinion, 6, on a crankshaft, 20, which is connected to the rods of a small duplex engine, a. The engine a is controlled by an ordinary stop, start, and reverse valvesueh as is commonly used in connection with elevators-which is connected to a lever, 13, having a segmental gear, 14, which engages with a gear,'15, on a shaft, 16, having pulleys 17, around which pass chains or wire ropes 18, which are connected to the wheelsin the pilot-houses 111.. By this means the lever 13 can be operated from either pilot-house, so asto set the engine a in motion and revolve the drums 11 in either direction or hold them in any position, and thus operate and control-both rudders simultaneously. Any other form of connections may, however, be employed, if preferred, or the shaft 12 may be operated directly from the pilothouses, instead of through the medium of the motor a, without departing wholly from the invention.

The boat being propelled by screws instead of paddlewheels, the usual beam and its connections are dispensed with and the middle of the deck is left open and unobstructed for the team-gangway B, which by this means is not only brought directly in the center of the boat, thus bringing the load in the center and aiding in balancing the boat, but the gangway is made much larger, so as to accommodate more teams or other freight.

The boilers 0 are arranged at the sides of the hull, so as to balance the boat and also to permit the steam-drums p, smoke-stacks q, and funnels r to pass up between the cabins b and team-gangway B, where they will not interfere with the'other parts.

As shown in the present case, the boat is provided with upper cabins, s, and stairs t leading thereto, which of course greatly increases the passenger capacity; but this feature may be omitted without changing the other features of construction.

In conclusion, it is to be remarked that in some cases it maybe found desirable to provide each of the shafts e with two screws instead of a single screw. Two arrangements ofthiskind are illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9. As shown in Fig. 8, the shaft eis extended and its end is supported in a bearing, 3, in the outwater w, and the two screws cl, with which it is provided, are located a sufficient distance apart to permit the rudder gto be located between them., The arrangement shown in Fig. 9 is much the same, except that thetwo screws (1 are placed closertogether on the shaft and the rudder g is located at the end of the shaft outside both of the screws. In this case the bearing 3 for the end of the shaft 6 is formed in a vertical post, 2, extending from the shoe f to the skeg 0. By employing two screws at each end of the boat in this manner the screws can be made of less diameter than when a single screw is used; and this arrangement will therefore be found advantageous in those cases where the boat is to be run in very shallow water.

I am aware .that it has been proposedto pro.- vide a boat with a screw-propeller at each end, said propeller being located upon a horizontal shaft which extended the entire length of the boat; and I am also aware that it has been proposed, in boats having a screw at one end, to mount the screw upon a shaft which inclined downward toward the end of the boat and was connected by a flexible coupling to a Y horizontal shaft which was driven from the engine. I am also aware that war-vessels have been provided with projecting prows or rams which were located below the surface of the water and were inclined inward and upward at the water-line. either of these features.

What I claim is?- I do not, therefore, claim 1. The combination, in aboathaving a screw or screws at each end, of the rudders g at the opposite ends of the boat, the single transverse shaft 12, provided with the drums 11, for operating both rudders, connections 9, extending from the tillers and passing around the drums in reverse directions, whereby the ro tation of the shaft 12 operates the rudders simultaneously, but in opposite'directions, and connections, substantially such as described, between the shaft 12 and the wheel in each pilot-house, whereby the shaft may be set in.

motion from either pilot-house, substantially as described.

' 3. The combination, in a boathaving ascrew or screws at each end, ,of the rudders g at the opposite ends of the boat, the single transverse shaft 12, provided with the drums 11, for operating both rudders, connections 9, extending from the tillers and passing around the drums in reverse directions, whereby the rotation of the shaft 12 operates both rudders simultaneously, but in opposite directions, the motor n, for operating the shaft 12, and connections between the valve of said motor and each pilot house, substantially as described.

4. In a boat having a screw or screws at each end, the screw-shafts 6, extending the length of the boat and inclined downward toward the ends of the boat and connected directly to the crank-shaft of the engine by toggle-joints or flexible couplings, whereby the screws may be sufliciently immersed and the screws at both ends of the boat may be driven by the same engine, substantially as .described.

5. In a boat having a plurality of screws on the same shaft at each end of the boat, the screw -shafts 6, extending the length of the boat and inclined downward toward the ends of the boat and connected directly to the crank shaft of the engine by togglejoints or flexible couplings, whereby the screws may be sufficiently immersed and the screws at each end of the boat may be driven by the same engine, substantially as described.

6. In a boat having a screw or screws at each end, the skegs 0, extended beyond the shoulder of the hull, so as to allow room for floating matter to pass downward and upward between the hull and the screw or screws, in combination with the guards a, extended outward and forward,so as to overlie and protect the screws,

substantially as described.

7. In a boat having a screw or screws and a rudder at each end, the skegs 0, extended beyond the shoulder of the hull, so as to allow room for floating matter to pass downward and upward between the hull and the screw or screws, in combination with the guards a, extended outward and forward, so as to overlie and protect the screws, and the shoes f and cut; waters to, extending under and around the screws and rudders, substantially as described.

8. In a boat having a screw or screws at each end, the shoes f and the cut-waters 10, extending under and around the screws and rudders, the cut-waters being inclined. inward and upward at the water-line, in combination with the guards a, extended outward and forward, so as to overlie and protect the screws and cutwaters, substantially as described.

9. In a boat having a screw or screws at each end, and having cut-waters located outside said screws, the guards'or braces h, extending upward and outward from the cut-waters at a point below the water line to the hull,substantially as described.

10. A ferry-boat having a screw propellervor propellers and a rudder at each end, and its engines and boilers located below the deck, side cabins extending from the edges of the hull outward to the edges of the guards and along the whole central portion of the boat, a central team-gangway extending from end to end of the boat, and smoke-stacks located between the team-gangway and side cabins, substantially as described. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

I \VILLIAM COWIJES.

\Vitnesses:

J. A. HOVEY, J AS. J. KENNEDY. 

